Projects in genres: Music

Synopsis

Created by Jamie Hewlett (Tank Girl) and Damon Albarn (Blur). Gorillaz is a new animated band made up of Murdoc, 2D, Noodle and Russel.

Synopsis

Stephanie is a talented young singer frustrated by the lack of success she is experiencing with her Lo-Fi band and the mundane nature of everyday life. However, after a chance meeting with a publicist, Stephanie is given the opportunity to reinvent herself as a conventional solo pop star. Initially Stephanie resists,however, when two members of her own band leave in order to join another, more successful group, Stephanie agrees to undergo the gruelling physical and musical transformation that her new record company believe will result in pop success. Having allowed herself to be recreated in the image her record company believes will make her both physically and commercially attractive, Stephanie finds she is rapidly rewarded with a level of success she had once thought impossible. However, in doing so Stephanie is also forced to give up her free will, having effectively handed control of her life over to the record company who dictate every aspect of her world, from where she lives to whom she is seen out with. Confronted by her complete lack of control over the life she thought she wanted, Stephanie is forced to try and reconcile her new found success with her true persona.

Synopsis

A contemporary music-driven drama, tinged with magic and special effects, that takes you on a journey from innocence to adolescence. When Bebette's artistic and unconventional behaviour is interpreted as disruptive and anti-social, she is projected from the beauty and security of her dream world into a bleak and sometimes frightening reality. In an effort to escape the torment in her mind, she runs! This is the first film written and directed by Janis Sharp and is full of optimism and charm, with an original soundtrack filled with mood and melody.

Synopsis

Maestro tells the story of a famous international concert violinist who no longer plays. Embittered and haunted by a guilty secret, he retires to a remote mountain village in Spain. He lives alone and is regarded by the villagers with a mixture of suspicion and disdain. The arrival on holiday of his housekeeper's beautiful daughter, Inma, upsets his quiet existence and re-awakens long buried emotions and old wounds. In an electrifying final act, the theme of atonement and redemption is played out against the background of Easter Feria. Beautifully photographed by Tom Ingle, the film was shot on location in Britain and Competa, Spain. The blazing Spanish sun, the towering beauty of the mountains, the apparent tranquillity of the little white villages of Spain, provide the backdrop and atmosphere for the cauldron of the characters' emotions.

Synopsis

Nobody Someday is a feature film about Robbie Williams. It was shot during his five week tour of Europe. Robbie had just given up alcohol and drugs and was trying to decide whether he wanted to continue being a popstar. Although he is the main attraction, the film also examines the circus that surrounds a modern celebrity.

Synopsis

'Let Love Be Your Energy' is Robbie Williams' new single release from his latest album Sing When You're Winning and is his first animated promo.

Synopsis

Veteran BBC Radio DJ John Peel takes his first visit to Derry and discovers for himself the band that forged his favourite pop song 'Teenage Kicks'. The film, through the use of archive footage, including previously unseen material of Derry and The Undertones, takes us back to 1975. To a time when it would have been normal, even expected, for five Derry teenagers to get together and have a riot. The Undertones got together, formed a band and created their own form of riot, bursting into a vigorous and joyous celebration of their own existence. The band was made up of former choirboy and distinctively voiced lead singer Feargal Sharkey, the O'Neil brothers, John and Damian, played guitars. Michael Bradley joined in with bass and Billy Doherty beat the drums. Peel takes us on a journey of discovery in which he expresses his amazement at the band's innocence, the completely artless way in which they resisted all hype and packaging. The Undertones would play to packed houses of adoring fans and then go home to Derry, to parents who waited up for them. Reared in a town where the most abhorred social disgrace was to get above yourself, they refused to take it seriously.

Synopsis

Kaleidoscopics brings together pornographic stills from the internet and bubbles at the edge of running water, putting both through the same digital processes. Eyes, faces and limbs surface and sink again in sequences of coloured tessellations, lead by a music soundtrack that overlays breathy sound with formal patterning.

Synopsis

Billy Elliot is a coming-of-age story of Billy, who through his unexpected love of dance, embarks on a journey to self-discovery in the world of picket lines, cultural stereotypes, family crises and a headstrong ballet teacher. When eleven-year-old Billy stumbles across a local ballet class that comes to share the village hall with his boxing club, something in the magic of the movements captures his imagination. Meanwhile, Billy's father and older brother, both on strike, struggle to put food on the table and finally explode when they discover Billy has been squandering his boxing money on less than manly pursuits. Billy's ballet teacher eventually persuades him to accept free private training, telling him she wants him to audition for the Ballet School, but when the audition comes Billy is tragically forced to miss it as a result of his brother's scuffle with the police. Distraught by his family's lack of understanding, Billy unleashes his feelings in a dance meant only for his friend Michael to see, but is caught mid-routine by his father. Rooted to the spot by the power and animation of his son's talent, he solemnly agrees to ensure Billy finally makes it to London for the gruelling audition.

Synopsis

Goldie, the Godfather of Drum and Bass, takes us on a roller coaster ride through his frenetic life. A journey that takes us from Wolverhampton to Tokyo, Miami to Hong Kong; through his years in council care and his life as a musician and international pop star. Along the way we meet his family, his collaborators and his celebrated friends, David Bowie and Noel Gallagher.

Synopsis

A highly stylised intimate portrait of the fantastic life of Louis Armstrong. The film charts the story of the innovator, the first great jazz soloist, bandleader, pop star, actor and American cultural ambassador, Louis Armstrong. Narrated by Danny Glover, The Wonderful World of Louis Armstrong is a sensitive insight into the life of the man behind the trumpet; an epic story that spans 70 years from his childhood days on the streets of New Orleans to the glamorous Hollywood films like High Society and Hello Dolly, punctuated by timeless hits like What a Wonderful World and When You're Smiling.

Synopsis

Human Traffic focuses on the lives and loves of five friends - JIP (played by John Simm), LULU (Lorraine Pilkington), KOOP (Shaun Parkes), NINA (Nicola Reynolds) and MOFF (Danny Dyer) --who suffer their weekday jobs to 'live it large' at the weekends. Jip and Lulu are having relationship problems: Jip is insecure after failing to perform during several one night stands and Lulu's talent for picking the wrong bloke is getting her down. Nina and Koop have a great relationship - except he doesn't trust her, and Moff, their friendly dealer, is heading for a fast burn out. Beneath the heady cocktail of music, clubs, drugs and bullshit, Human Traffic is also a film about friendships.